Latest news with #TheVanishing
Mint
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Disney+ cancels David Schwimmer's 'Goosebumps' series after two popular seasons
Disney+ has cancelled 'Goosebumps', the spooky series starring 'Friends' actor David Schwimmer, after just two seasons. The show, based on R.L. Stine's bestselling children's horror books, was a fresh take on the classic stories many grew up with. Schwimmer, best known as Ross Geller from the iconic sitcom 'Friends', took on a more serious role in season two of the series, which was subtitled 'The Vanishing'. The anthology-style show was created by Rob Letterman and Nicholas Stoller, with each season telling a new story inspired by the Goosebumps books. Schwimmer played Professor Anthony Brewer, a botany teacher and father to twins Cece and Devin. The story followed the family as they uncovered a decades-old mystery after exploring a haunted fort. The series became a hit with both new viewers and long-time fans of the 'Goosebumps' brand. Characters like Slappy the Dummy returned, and the updated storytelling kept things exciting for a new generation. Despite strong viewing numbers — over 75 million hours streamed in the US and another 43 million across 16 countries — Disney+ has decided not to move forward with a third season. According to Variety, Sony Pictures Television, the studio behind the series, is now looking to bring the show to another streaming service. There is also talk of exploring 'new directions' for the 'Goosebumps' franchise, though it's unclear what that will involve. 'Goosebumps' has had many versions over the years. The original TV series ran from 1995 to 1998. In 2015 and 2018, actor Jack Black played a fictional version of R.L. Stine in two family-friendly 'Goosebumps' films. While the cancellation is disappointing for fans, there is hope the series may return on another platform. As for Schwimmer, the role showed a different side to the actor, best known for comedy.
Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Disney+ cancels Friends star David Schwimmer's beloved series after 2 seasons
Disney+ has reportedly pulled the plug on a hit show starring Friends legend David Schwimmer. The 58-year-old actor, who played Ross Geller in the iconic sitcom, swapped comedy for horror with Goosebumps earlier this year in the latest adaptation of R.L. Stine's legendary book series. Rob Letterman and Nicholas Stoller's anthology show delighted fans with its first two seasons, but now it appears a third spooky run won't be streaming on Disney+. As reported by Variety, the broadcaster has pulled the plug on the show with its future now unclear. According to the outlet, 'an individual with knowledge of the situation' claimed Sony Pictures Television – which produced the series – is planning to shop it round to other streamers. They are also interested in exploring 'different directions for the IP', although it's unclear exactly what that means. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video An original Goosebumps series ran from 1995 to 1998 for four seasons with the episodes largely taking their plots from a specific book in the series. A decade ago, Jack Black played a fictionalised version of author R.L. Stine in two family friendly Goosebumps horror films. In 2023, the franchise made the jump back to television with the now-cancelled anthology show. The first season, which starred Justin Long, followed five high school students embroiled in the tragic death of teen Harold Biddle three decades earlier. It featured fan favourite characters like Slappy the Dummy, while Schwimmer's season (subtitled The Vanishing) told a new tale. Like the first season, The Vanishing took inspiration from Goosebumps books to tell a new story, this time following twins Cece and Devin as they visited their botany professor father Anthony Brewer. After exploring a supposedly haunted abandoned fort with friends, they accidentally uncover a mystery connected to the disappearance of four teenagers 30 years ago. As noted by Variety, the two seasons had a combined 75 million hours viewed in the US, with a further 43 million hours viewed across 16 international markets. Many Goosebumps fans are gutted to see the show shelved by the streaming giant, with some throwing their support behind Netflix's Fear Street franchise based on another of Stine's book series. More Trending 'I'm so sad goosebumps was cancelled. If the next fear street movies get cancelled too, I'm gonna snap,' wrote @screamingmel, while @HorrorHollow31 added: 'That's a shame. I hope someone else picks it up.' Others argued that the Disney+ show didn't land properly by creating new season-long stories inspired by the books. Fan @DpunkJrocksM suggested: 'Bring it back as an Anthology series. Each episode being a more mature reimagining of a book.' View More » Goosebumps is available to stream on Disney+. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 00s actor was 'on his deathbed' after losing 50% of his blood MORE: From spooning Satan to ruling Canada – every time South Park mocked Trump MORE: WWE Raw fans threaten to 'hijack' tonight's Netflix broadcast over Karrion Kross exit
Time Out
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Loved ‘Weapons'? Here are 7 twisted thrillers to watch next
After giving people Airbnb nightmares in his claustrophobic debut Barbarian, director Zach Cregger returns to the horror genre with Weapons. This time, the former sketch comedian explores a sleepy suburb that is scarred with the mass disappearance of 17 elementary school children who wake up one night, leave home and don't come back. Narrated from multiple POVs, the plot thickens when all these children belong to the same classroom. The community is naturally suspicious of class teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) until the slow-burning dread gives way to something more sinister, darkly funny, and creatively gory with a third act that can be best described as absolutely bonkers. So, if Weapons left you curling your toes and squinting your eyes, then these riveting cult classics and modern genre favourites will keep you hooked. Mom & Dad (2017) Remember The Shining? Now, imagine if all the parents in the world matched Jack Nicholson's unhinged rage. Throw in Nicolas Cage's natural madcap energy in the mix too, and voila, you have the blood-red concoction called Mom & Dad. The premise is simple: a plague has turned every parent against their child, running after their younglings with murderous intent. While this 2017 black comedy lacks the subtle wit and parental concern of Weapons, both films touch upon the anxieties of children in precarious scenarios, facing uncertain fears from their own guardians. M (1931) When a serial child murderer is wreaking havoc, a sleepy town wakes up with desperate parents and anxious law enforcers. Fritz Lang's timeless classic M set a template for mass hysteria that defined the 'child gone missing' genre for decades. There's the lust for mob justice, the mild-mannered suspect, and an uncomfortable resolution that offers more grief than peace. The collective fear in M translates well into Weapons, with Julia Garner's schoolteacher dragged into a witch hunt and devastated parents taking matters into their own hands. The Vanishing (1988) Ignore the Hollywood remake and stick to George Sluizer's Dutch original. As its title suggests, The Vanishing picks up from the disappearance of a woman and her boyfriend's desperate attempt to find her. However, all possibilities of a straightforward kidnapping thriller fade away when we are also led into the POV of the possible perpetrator. With Weapons employing six different perspectives around an astonishing vanishing, this gut-wrenching mystery makes for a fitting (albeit grimly unsettling) next watch. Hereditary (2018) Pagan history meets dysfunctional family drama in Ari Aster's deeply disturbing debut, Hereditary. Toni Collette plays a grieving mother who must not only deal with a crumbling family but also some dark secrets behind her own ancestry. While Weapons is more adrenaline-fuelled, it still shares the same DNA as Hereditary, especially in terms of unnerving dinner table conversations, parents on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and a ritualistic mythology that leaves permanent scars. It Follows (2014) In the suburbs of Detroit, a young girl's sexual awakening turns into a twisted game of tag. As genre queen Maika Monroe's Jay gets stalked by a sexually transmitted curse, It Follows evolves from just a raunchy gag to a modern horror classic, one that taps into our primal anxieties while drawing a chuckle or two. The tonal balance, the flawed yet empathetic heroine, and a younger and then-unknown David Robert Mitchell's sudden ascension to horror auteur status make It Follows still a worthwhile horror to revisit. The Sweet Hereafter (1997) A bus crash kills 14 children in one go. How do the parents cope with their loss? And how do the survivors of this freak accident live with themselves? The Sweet Hereafter promises few easy answers, but it provides enough food for thought to ponder upon real-world tragedies that can unexpectedly shatter our world in a second. Weapons might have its fair share of dark humour but it also has its moments of genuine grief and trauma, themes that only resonate deeply in Atom Egoyan's meditative drama.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Goosebumps canceled on Disney+: Here's what's next for David Schwimmer series
Disney+ has officially canceled the Goosebumps series after two seasons, much to the disappointment of fans. The show, based on R.L. Stine's iconic horror book series, aired its second season titled The Vanishing earlier this year. Despite a promising start when the first season premiered in October 2023 - ranking in Nielsen's top 10 original streaming shows for four weeks - the second season failed to maintain the same momentum and did not chart on Nielsen's ratings. Disney+ has canceled Goosebumps after just two seasons, but showrunners are exploring options to air the series in other platforms.(x/@TVCancelBeast) Produced by Sony Pictures Television, Goosebumps was an anthology series featuring different stories and casts each season. The first season starred Justin Long and Isa Briones, while the second featured David Schwimmer in a leading role, alongside Jayden Bartels and Ana Ortiz. To date, the show has amassed over 118 million hours viewed globally, with 75 million hours watched in the US alone. Sony shops series to new homes While Disney+ is stepping away from the series, the future of Goosebumps might not be over just yet. Showrunner Hilary Winston and producer Sony Pictures Television are reportedly exploring options to continue the series elsewhere. With over 200 original Goosebumps stories to draw from, there is ample material for future seasons or spin-offs. Industry insiders reveal that Sony is actively shopping the series to other streaming platforms or networks, hoping to find a new home where the franchise can thrive creatively. The producers are also open to reimagining the property to suit a broader audience or different formats. Hope for fans Goosebumps has enjoyed a long legacy beyond the Disney+ adaptation. The original books by R.L. Stine have inspired several adaptations, including a popular 1990s TV series on Fox and two feature films in the 2010s, with the first directed by Rob Letterman, who also executive produced the recent series alongside Nicholas Stoller. Though the cancellation is a setback, fans of the franchise can take solace in the continued popularity of the books and the creative team's determination to keep Goosebumps alive in new ways. For now, the two seasons remain available on Disney+ as Sony looks for fresh opportunities to revive the eerie anthology.
Time Out
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Photograph: Quim Vives
An outdoor rave in the desert. The music pounds, distorting the speakers, and the desert sun beats down. These people dance like the damned. Some like they're asking questions; others like they're answering them. Some seem furious; others ecstatic. They all look exhausted, old, like they've been dancing non-stop for 25 years. Some have lost limbs. Think Burning Man, but more like Burnt Man: the embers of the '90s dance scene. Among them wanders Luis (Sergi López) and his young son, Esteban, handing out fliers as they search for his daughter who is rumoured to be in the area. When an international crisis causes the military to start rounding up foreign nationals, a ragtag caravan of ravers breakaway from the convoy and head to the mountains seeking out another rave. Luis and Esteban follow. Wherever they think they're going, they're in for a surprise. The same can be said for us. All you need to know is that the twists and turns of French-Spanish director Oliver Laxe's film are as dangerous as a mountain road. For some, the vertigo they cause will be too much. It's The Wages of Fear meets The Vanishing on shrooms At first, the film plays as a fish-out-of-water comedy as the resolutely middle class Luis finds himself forced to ally himself to the tattooed, drug-fuelled crusties who can show him the way. The sweetness of Luis and Esteban's relationship is matched by the makeshift family of outcasts and wanderers, played almost exclusively by first-timers. Relationships are not always clear, but Stefania Gadda is the matriarch of the group and Jade Oukid is the fixer who repairs the speakers, enjoying their distorted sound which dominates Berlin electronic producer Kangding Ray's all-enveloping soundtrack. Having made his second film, Mimosas, in Morocco, Laxe has an eye for the unworldly beauty of the desert and mountain landscapes. Cinematographer Mauro Herce's camera imbues the film with a feel that is part western – The Searchers, perhaps – and part science fiction, with more than a hint of Mad Max: Fury Road. There's also the political background which the characters are ignoring to their peril. Apocalypse is often simply third world conditions imposed on white people and so it proves here. Much will depend on how far you're willing to go with the wild swings the film takes in its second half, but if you're down for a trip, Sirat is The Wages of Fear meets The Vanishing on shrooms; startlingly original, jarringly hilarious and deeply disturbing.
